Having purchased an American Deluxe Telecaster in 2005, I already knew how well I liked playing a Tele. When I saw this one was a semi-hollow body with two humbuckers I had to have one. In addition, this one is made with swamp ash wood I knew the sound had to be great. The ease of playing, the many sounds you can get, looks that are beyond what a picture can take, and a much better hard shell case, are only a few of it's virtues. This guitar is capable of playing anything from country to medal, and has both a great bottom, mid, and higher sound. I'm not going to say I like it better than my American Deluxe Telecaster, since I feel they both have their own place. I will say that I enjoy playing this guitar just as well as I do my PRS McCarty. What I like about it the most is how the sound can change depending on the amp I'm using. If I play it over my Marshall JVM410H it can really scream. If I switch to my Fender Twin Reverb then it can get very warm and soft. I've had mine more than a year, and have no complaints.